Iron Wills
by ChibisandRoses
Summary: Gajeel needs help, and he figures only Levy is the one for the job. AU
1. Chapter 1

_The beast rose high above them, its wings and roar matching in size and awe-inspiring strength. Rearel remained standing, his sword clenched tight in his fist, fear a deep draw in his_ _gut_ \- "Levy!"

Levy jerked in her chair, reality crashing through the climax that she had been so engrossed in. Her cheeks darkened when those around her chuckled, but Lucy gave her an understanding look. Then she noticed the teacher looking at her with both affection and slight irritation. This happened often in class.

"Would you care to solve this problem for us?" Luckily, she'd always been good at school, and happened to have been studying this subject just last night. Would her teachers never learn that she wouldn't ever be caught in a class where she hadn't read the whole textbook at least once?

"Sure." She bookmarked the page she was on, and slid out of her chair, walking to the front of the classroom. She took in the equation the teacher had set up on the board, and deftly went to work. It was solved in just a minute. She was a bit irritated that it had taken her much longer than she had thought. She'd have to work a bit harder on that.

"Thank you, Levy." The teacher was grumpy that she had done it with no problem, thus teaching her no lesson. She just shrugged inside. She made sure she knew what she was doing _before_ she did it.

A few hours later, at lunch, she closed the book loudly, and sighed in enjoyment. "Geez, Lev, done already?" Natsu teased her.

She stuck out her tongue at him. Lucy laughed. "Leave her alone Natsu. You're just jealous Levy's so impressive." Lucy winked at her.

"Yeah, she's probably stronger than you too, with all those huge books she carries around!" Jet, her life long friend- sitting right next to her- said.

While Natsu rebuffed and then challenged Levy to an arm wrestling contest, she simply got up and took her book with her. She loved the rambunctious groups she surrounded herself with, but she was in dire need of the sequel she knew was in the library. No one questioned her as she left with her tray, the book tucked between her arm and her chest.

Then she slammed into a hard chest, thus having the remains of her food and trash, along with a whole trayful of someone else's. She ended up on the floor, her book landing hard on her chest. She gasped for air.

"Ah shit, watch where you're going, ya damn shrimp!" A harsh voice rang out above her. When she was finally able to get air, she noticed him shaking out his hands and glaring at her. He was huge,- tall and muscular- with long black hair, piercing red eyes. His clothes were also ruined from their crash. When he looked at her clearly, his face softened when he saw she was hurt. As she tried to get up, picking up trays and trash as she got up, he bent down and helped her, then took them and helped her up.

"Sorry about that." He grumbled, nearly under his breath. He handed her her book. She took it nervously, but smiled a bit, showing it was alright. Then came her friends, parading around her, asking if she was alright. Jet and Droy went to glare at the man who she had run into, but he was already headed out of the lunchroom.

When Lucy and her had managed to salvage some clothes for her to use, they parted ways to their next class. Levy's thoughts went back to the man she'd bumped into. She knew she'd seen him around school, and she'd heard his name before, but it wasn't coming to her, all she could remember was that it started with a g. _Gale? Grole?_ Ugh, she hated not knowing.

School ended like normal, and she went out with everyone afterwards, celebrating the last day of the second to last month of school. When Natsu was explaining why they were going out, she rolled her eyes, but looked forward to it. They had all grown up together, or they were accepted as family once they came in, like Lucy. The main group was Natsu, a crazy, hotheaded but loyal-to-a-fault leader of sorts; Erza, the backboned redhead was a force to be reckoned with, with top grades in both class and PE, she could be the scariest thing you'd ever seen, or the kindest and most understanding friend; Gray, often preferring clothes off than on, fiercely loyal as well, but more methodical, and not as easily trusting; Lucy, the blonde who was almost as outspoken, loyal, and impulsive as Natsu sometimes, was also wickedly intelligent, and could solve most puzzles and problems put before her, also an amazing friend who stood by anyone and everyone she knew to be doing the right thing.

Levy's very small group tagged along often with them, just Levy, Jet and Droy, who had all grown up together from a very young age.

When they got to the local sweet shop- which served everything from pastries to candy to ice cream- Levy noticed the man she'd bumped into earlier, and another girl, Juvia, who often hung around Gray now. Everyone but Gray knew the girl was hopelessly in love with him, and it showed when they entered the room, and she nearly fainted. Levy wondered if they were going out, but thought that odd if Juvia was so obviously infatuated with her friend.

What she hadn't expected was Natsu calling out his name and waving him over. "Gajeel, hey, what's up?" _Gajeel! That was it!_ But how did Natsu know him? "Hey Luce, wanna meet my cousin? He comes to our school, but skips all the time, so I don't see him that often."

That would explain why hardly anyone knew about him. Levy wondered if anyone remembered that he had been the one she had run into that day. The look Lucy sent her made her think so.

"Sure, Natsu." She sounded a bit hesitant. Levy watched as Gajeel walked over towards them, with a quivering Juvia behind him.

"What's up flamebrain?" Flamebrain? Levy wondered where the nickname had come from. It sounded like a good story, and she loved any and all of those. His gaze flickered over to her, and a flash of surprise flickered over his face, before he turned back to Natsu. Levy ducked her head down. She wished they hadn't met under such circumstances. Despite the permanent scowl, and the potty mouth she had noticed earlier, he didn't seem that bad.

Natsu was able to convince him to join their group, and before long, everyone knew what they wanted, and they collected orders. Levy volunteered herself to order, knowing no one else would be able to do it without being tempted to intentionally mess with them. She didn't want to have to take Droy to the hospital again for his peanut allergy.

Lucy went with her. While they were waiting in line, they talked about books and school, when Lucy suddenly looked at Levy with a mischievous smile that made her wary. "Gajeel seems to like you more than most, Levy." Levy was shocked to say the least.

"What makes you say that?"

"He sat across from you without even asking, and then earlier, even apologized. I've never seen someone so surly go out of their way to help someone else."

Levy shook her head. "He seems naturally irritated by noise, and I don't talk nearly as much as others, or as loud. That's probably why he sat down at my end." She had just met the guy that day, there was no way Lucy was going to convince her that he already had a crush on her. Lucy was enough of a matchmaker as it was, she wasn't going to let her see something there that wasn't real.

Lucy just shrugged, but didn't look convinced. "If you say so." When the girls came back with everyone's treats, laughter and conversation was heard throughout the whole group, but tapered at the very end, where Levy and Gajeel were. He had only ordered a frozen lemonade, and had his head down on the table, seemingly taking a nap. Levy was reading a book, engrossed in the other universe, so when he looked up at her and watched her with a smirk on his face for a few minutes, she didn't notice.

"You sure read a lot, Shorty." His voice rumbled over to her, snapping her out of her little world. He watched as she blinked a few times, and then smiled. He assumed that was her default expression, like his was a scowl.

"Uh, yeah I do. I love reading." She seemed a bit shy, but was open and welcoming.

He snorted. "What's so great about it? It's just a book." Her look of almost outrage and complete astonishment made him almost regret the words. But he loved getting reactions out of people, especially ones that looked like her, like sunshine poured out of every orifice and like the world was sunshine and fucking rainbows.

"They are not just books! Every book is different, telling a different thing, a different story, a wholly different wealth of knowledge held in simple, amazing pages!" Her voice had risen a bit, and she looked a bit miffed. He almost chuckled, but thought that would just make her madder. A few people had glanced over at her raised voice, but once they listened in, they smiled and just left her to it. Quite a few looked at them with raised eyebrows, but no one said anything.

She was glaring at him with a grumpy face, which he tried very hard to not notice, partly because it was honestly one of the most adorable things he'd ever seen, but mostly because he had a feeling she would yell again if he showed his amusement, and he had a horrible headache. That's why he'd sat next to her in the first place. She didn't talk.

He smirked, but simply said, "Well then, guess you showed me." Then he put his head down again.

Levy felt ridiculous. She had yelled at a stranger. Sure, he had disregarded books and reading in general- which was nearly unforgivable in her mind- but she shouldn't have yelled. Though a tiny, very mean part of her felt avenged over him yelling at her earlier at lunch for an accident. But _he_ had apologized afterwards as well.

A few minutes later, after much internal debate of hers- most of which was her pride battling with her kindness- she murmured an apology to him.

He shifted his head to face up to see her again, noticed the pout on her face, and chuckled. "It's fine Shorty."

Her face flushed a bit. "My name is Levy. Not shorty or shrimp."

He shrugged. "Not gonna happen Squirt." He saw her grumpy face before putting his head back down. She didn't say anything though.

A few minutes passed by again, before a shot of pain rang through his head again, on top of the constant thudding and pressure. He got up out of his seat, said his goodbyes to the group, and walked out.

Levy watched him leave, wondering what was bothering him, but quickly went back to her book, telling herself it was none of her business. Another hour, and they all talked of going out to the mall, but she decided against going. Jet and Droy offered to walk her home, and she accepted. As they were on their way, Droy realized he had left his backpack, and rushed to get it before the place closed. Jet and her continued on their way, talking about school and how stressed Jet was for finals in a few weeks, and other things. Finally, when they got to her house, Jet hesitated when she said goodbye. Inside, she cringed. _Please, not again._ But she could tell by his body language what he was going to say next.

"So, Levy, what are you doing after school tomorrow?" He smiled sheeply at her. She hated doing this, but she was forced to now, almost every time they were together. At least Droy had gotten over the crush he'd had on her years ago, but Jet had never admitted defeat. It was a bit admirable, but at this point it was just annoying for the most part.

"Not much, just going to the library, like always." Despite knowing what he was about to say, he was still one of her best friends, and she wasn't going to be mean to him because he had a crush on her. That would be horrible.

His face was hopeful, as it was every time. "Do you want to maybe go on a date afterwards?" She sighed, and smiled again, but she felt the weariness of answering the question for the upteenth time dragging the edges down a bit.

"Jet, you know I don't like you like that. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to say no." She saw the disappointment. It wasn't like she could ignore it. But she knew that she could also do nothing about it. The only way she could figure to get him to stop asking would be to say yes, and that wouldn't be fair to him or her.

But Jet had tried this many times now, and the disappointment was brief, and then he kissed her forehead goodbye, and made sure she got in the house fine. She sighed. She wished he would stop asking her out, but she wouldn't know how to ask him without being really rude or mean, and that wasn't the point. She just wanted him to know that she didn't see him that way, and she was very much sure that she never would, no matter how much he hoped she would.

As she got ready for bed in her apartment, her pictures caught her eye. She smiled as she perused them all, the most recent ones with Lucy and Natsu and everyone, to the ones with Jet and Droy when they met at four. Then, the few ones of her and her parents. She picked up her favorite, her on her father's shoulders, laughing, her father and mother smiling at each other.

When she laid down and turned off the light, she put the picture back, and took out a flashlight. When she picked up her father's favorite book, which she had read so many times the leather was soft from the oils in her hands and the constant wear and tear of life. She reread a few chapters, and then Gajeel slipped into her thoughts unbidden. He had seemed a strange mixture of kind and gruff. It was also only their first day of meeting, but she sensed that he was a naturally kind man, but time had taught him to be the opposite. She wondered what he thought of her, and if he thought she was absolutely crazy for the way she talked about books. She hoped not.

She fell asleep smiling, her head resting on the book for not the first time.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gajeel seems much better this morning." Juvia said while she walked next to him.

He glanced at her. "I told you, it was just a headache. I get them sometimes." He was lying a bit; the huge migraine that the pounding headache had morphed into had been one of the worst he'd ever had. But he wasn't lying when he said he got them sometimes, they came every once in a while, but he'd never had one so bad he nearly fell asleep in public. And that's exactly what he'd done yesterday.

His mind flitted back to the girl, Levy, that he'd met yesterday. He'd seen her around, how could he not notice one of his cousins best friends? But he'd never stopped to look at her until they were sitting at that table, both of them quiet while her friends chatted around them. Her ability to shut out the world around her had impressed him, and the faces she made while reading were hilarious. He didn't think she noticed that she mouthed the words, or that she also felt whatever emotions the characters were going through. He'd never noticed how entertaining it was to watch someone read before.

And that bugged him. It bugged him that he'd noticed that, that he'd thought about her at all, that he'd thought about her enough to be sorry for the first words he'd ever spoken to her. He wasn't a soft guy, in any way.

And she was the softest girl he'd ever seen.

 _Hey idiot, you're thinking about her again._ He growled a bit, and kept on walking to school. The school had mailed him a letter stating that if he didn't start showing up to school regularly, he'd get kicked out, and then wouldn't graduate. Seeing as he didn't want to get so close only to fail, he figured he'd just finish out the year and be done with the whole thing. He'd never really cared about school, but with only a month left, he figured he'd put in some kind of effort. If only to show people that he could.

When they made it to the school, him and Juvia parted ways to their respective classes. He'd skipped a lot yesterday as well, but that had been because of the headache. Besides, he never left the school, just slept on the roof.

He slipped into the back of his first class, Geometry, and noticed a head of wild blue hair a few rows up. _Huh, I guess I have her in this class._ He figured that he should've noticed earlier, but frankly, he wasn't at school enough to warrant that.

The teacher looked surprised to see him, but said nothing. When the teacher tapped on Levy's desk while she was passing out some papers for them to work on, her head shot up. Gajeel chuckled to himself when he saw the teacher shake her head and motioned for her to put the book away. He saw Levy pout, save the page for later, then put it on the corner of her desk. When the teacher had walked on though, she moved it to her lap, and occasionally did a problem.

When the teacher got to him, he noticed a note on it. _See me after class._ He grumbled a bit under his breath.

 _Fucking perfect._ He'd showed up hadn't he? What else did they want from him?

When class finished, he went up to the teacher. She sat down and brought out a folder marked Gajeel Redfox. It was very thin. Then she pulled out one marked Levy McGarden, which had to be as thick as one of her books. "Gajeel, what do you notice about these books?"

"Hers has more in it." His voice was more of a growl than actual words. There was an added "Duh" to the end.

She shot him a look. "Exactly. Miss Levy pays as much attention to this class as you do, and yet just from her being here, I have so much more progress from her. You should have been here much more than you were this semester alone."

"Yeah, I got the letter. What's the point of this?" She took a deep breath.

"The point is, Mr. Redfox, is that I have almost nothing to show that you are even in this class. As it is, you won't pass it, and you won't graduate. Luckily, the next month has enough tests and then finals, that you can pull up your grades enough to pass, and then graduate."

He realized then just how much work graduating was going to take, and was tempted for a moment to just screw it all, and let himself fail. But that would prove everyone who had ever told him he would never amount to anything right. And if there was one thing he hated, it was showing those who had left him that they had a good reason to.

So he nodded. "Got it."

She rose an eyebrow, but seemed mollified by his ability to listen. Her face softened. "I get that it's hard for you to do school, Gajeel, but you're almost there. Finish strong. I know you can do this."

 _She sounds like a fucking kitten poster._ He quipped in his head. But he knew what she was trying to do, and even appreciated it a bit, not that he would show it. So he just nodded. "Anything else?"

She seemed to meddle over something, then spoke. "I'd like for you to find a tutor if you can. You'll need help from someone who knows the material, and is a good teacher. I'd recommend Erza, or Lucy. They know the material well enough to be a good help." He nodded, recognizing the names, but had another in thought.

His next few classes went by, and then lunch. He went to sit with Juvia, her being his only actual friend here, but saw that she was sitting with Flamebrain and his group. He debated sitting with them before deciding to just do it. Besides, the seat across from Shorty was free, and he didn't want to miss an opportunity to talk to her about his idea.

When he set his plate down, Levy didn't look up. But the guys sitting on either side of her did, and even glared at him. He rose an eyebrow and smirked at them, recognizing that he often saw them with her. He didn't really know or care about who they were though.

He watched the bookworm for a second. She was nibbling on a sandwich while she read. _She's really freaking cute._ The thought came to his head without warning, but suddenly, he couldn't stop thinking it. The thought was on point. She was cute. Very cute, maybe one of the cutest girls he'd ever seen. But that meant very little to him and his mission right now.

But that didn't stop his head from noticing and relishing over the little head snap and blinking thing she did when he tapped her book and caught her attention. It was like she was reasserting that she was there, in Earthland, and not whatever strange place the book had taken her to.

"Oh, hi Gajeel." She smiled at him, and looked at him expectantly.

"I have an idea to run by you Squirt." Her eyebrows went up in question, but he didn't miss the quick glare from the nickname. "I have to buckle down in my classes from missing so much school."

She nodded. "I would assume so. That's what happens when you skip the majority of your senior year." _Huh, she does sarcasm too_.

"Cute, kid. Now, I need a tutor or some stupid shit like that to help me out. How about it?" Her boys spluttered at his language usage, and argued with her over why it was such a bad idea. (It wasn't their business anyways, why the hell were they talking?) Shorty let them talk, listened to them, but ultimately turned to him.

"How many classes do you need help with?" He barely held back a smug grin. He'd won out against the boy toys.

"Geometry, English, and History." He was fine with everything else, his issues were mainly with those classes.

She whistled lightly. "And you only have a month? For three core classes? Talk about procrastination." He glowered a bit, though he knew she wasn't being harsh about it, just stating facts. Besides, he kinda deserved being razzed for skipping the classes. And it was Shorty. From the little he'd seen, she didn't seem the type to be mean.

Gajeel could actually see her thought process play out on her face. At the end, she nodded. He smiled. "Thanks Shorty."

She held up her hand. "One request: please call me by my name."

He laughed. "No way shrimp. I'll agree to pretty much anything else though. I don't expect you to do this for free."

She seemed a bit affronted at this. "I'm not going to make you pay me for this!"

He shrugged. "It doesn't have to be money. You need something, just ask. I don't like being in debt. Pay a shrimp what she's worth, and all that."

She laughed once at his lame joke, but looked at him seriously. "I don't need anything- well actually…" She looked him up and down. He rose an eyebrow. "I'm moving soon, and need help with the process. You can just come over for lessons, and then help me afterwards."

The ginger boy next to her protested. "But Levy, we were going to help you move!"

 _Ugh, quit whining like a woman._ But Levy just smiled reassuringly. "You and Droy will help me the day of, but I'll need help packing everything up. I've been there my whole life, and will need a lot of help."

The other one, the fat one with dark hair- Droy?-, spoke up. "Are you sure you're okay with this Levy?" He seemed more worried for her, than about Gajeel like the other one was.

She nodded. "Yes, this is perfect actually." She turned to Gajeel again. "Is this alright with you?" He just shrugged.

"I don't really care, to tell you the truth." She smiled.

"Then it's settled!" And went back to her book. He rose an eyebrow, but left her to her own devices. Natsu started yelling at him across the table, and he ended up talking to him for a while. He finished up eating, and picked up his tray. He noticed that the boys next to her had left, leaving her alone on that side of the table. He also noticed that she was way too engrossed in her book to notice they only had five minutes left of the lunch period.

He picked up her tray, and threw them both away. When he came back, she hadn't moved. He started to get curious about what she was reading. He sat down in the chair on her left, and lifted up the cover, reading it. _Ancient Languages in Earthland and Their Origins_.

"Hey, Gajeel! What are you doing?" He just looked up at her in shock. Her face flushed. He had to ignore how adorable that was to maintain focus. "What?"

"How the hell are you reading that kind of shit?! Isn't that college stuff?" Her face flushed a bit more. That was seriously distracting.

"What's wrong with it, it's very interesting!" He just shook his head.

"Your fucking crazy." She threw him a look, then went to get her tray that wasn't there.

"What-?"

"I took care of it. Now come on Shorty, the bell's gonna ring any minute." She blinked up at him for a second. Then a smile split her face.

"Thank you Gajeel." He tried not to notice how good his name sounded when she said it.

He just grumbled under his breath and stood up. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's your next class?"

She got up as well, and put her book back in her bag, and slid it over her shoulder. "English. You?"

He nodded. "English. Probably the same one. Walk with me?" She smiled and nodded. He held out his hand, indicating for her to go first. She walked alongside him to their next class, and he asked himself how he had never noticed her in his classes before.

After English, he found that they didn't have any other classes together for the rest of the day. "Where do you want to meet after school?" She asked. He thought they'd start tomorrow, thinking she had plans, so he was a bit surprised when she asked.

"Um, how about the front of the library? That way you can get books and stuff. Plus, I bet you were already planning on going there today." He tugged a wave of hair near her face, not held back by her headband. Her cheeks grew a bit red.

"That's fine. See you then." Then left him there, the feel of her hair still lingering on his fingertips.

When he met her at the library, he saw her bouncing up and down on the tips of her toes. "What's up Shorty?" She smiled.

"Nothing. I got what I needed already, we can head out." He nodded, and let her lead the way.

"You sure your parents won't mind when I just show up?" She shot a questioning look at him, but then it cleared as she realized something.

"Oh, don't worry about that, I live alone." He drew back.

"What do you mean? Where are your parents?" He didn't care that he was being nosy, what kind of horrible parents left their small, adorable daughter to live on her own?

"They've been dead for a while now, Gajeel." _Oh shit, nice going idiot._ She seemed only a bit uncomfortable, but he still felt bad for bringing it up.

"Sorry." He murmured.

She laughed, and he thought it was probably one of the prettiest things he'd ever seen. "It's fine, you didn't know." He disagreed, but kept his opinion to himself. He saw her easy smile as something so different now. Who would have thought the girl who smiled at everyone had such a sad past? And he knew very close to nothing about it. He found he wanted to know more though, eventually.

When they got to a small little house close to the school, he rose his eyebrows. "You live here Shorty?" The front of the house had a well maintained lawn, a wraparound porch, and bunch of little knicks and knacks everywhere. Wind chimes tinkled everywhere, there was even a fucking birdhouse.

It looked like a house that a family had lived in for years. He looked at her, just as she blushed a bit. "Yeah. It was my parents. I haven't touched it." Then she shrugged, trying to show nonchalance. _Holy shit, this woman is the craziest fucking thing_. He couldn't imagine how hard it had been to live in the house where she had grown up, that her parents had lovingly put together.

But he imagined that leaving it would be much harder.

When they went inside, there were books everywhere. One entire wall in the living room was a bookcase, from floor to ceiling. Here and there, on almost every available surface, there was one or two. The house wasn't dirty, just cluttered. And only with books.

But there was an insane amount of books. "Have you read all of these?" She smiled, and stroked her hand along a nearby stack, and shook her head.

"No. I'm intentionally not letting myself read them all. Most of them are my parents. I've added a lot though. Hopefully, I'll never finish them all." _This girl._ Those were the only words he could think. She was so very different than what she seemed to be on the outside.

He shook his head. "Damn, Shorty, you're nuts." She pouted a bit at the nickname, but didn't say anything. "So where do you wanna do this?"

She looked around. "The kitchen table's probably the best place. I'm getting something to drink, do you want anything?" He shook his head, and put his things down.

She came back in a bit with some juice, and sat down next to him. "Alright, so what do you want to start with?"

"Geometry. It's my worst one." She nodded.

"Let's get started then."

A few hours later, Gajeel's head hurt, but he had learned how to solve all of the problems on both his homework, and a pop quiz Levy had made him.

She smiled up at him. "You only got two wrong on the quiz, good job!" Usually when people told Gajeel that he did a good job, it was sarcastic, or sounded too damn like it for him to accept it. But he liked it when Levy said it. It made him want to make her say it again.

They spent about an hour boxing up books off the top shelves, and then the sun went down, and Gajeel decided it was time for him to go.

As she walked him out, he shuffled on his feet before heading off. "Hey, Shorty, thanks for what you're doing and all." He was kind of embarrassed but knew she wouldn't hold it against him. It was kind of nice, being safe around someone. Scary, but nice too.

She smiled again. "Of course, Gajeel. There's no need to thank me. After all, I never would've been able to reach those books earlier." He laughed.

"Well, I'll see you on Monday then." He said, and started down the steps.

"Um, Gajeel?" She sounded hesitant, and when he turned around, she was biting her lip. "Maybe you should stop by tomorrow? We do only have a month until school's over, and I've gotta be out of the house around the same time."

He smirked. "Yeah, alright Shorty. I'll be here around 11." Then he started the walk home.

When Levy got ready for bed that night, she wondered why she had enjoyed hanging out with Gajeel quite as much as she had. He wasn't a gentleman, or even really all that kind. But he did do kind gestures, and he wasn't mean- to her at least.

But most of all, she wondered why she had told him about her parents. She hadn't told much of anybody, and while most of the reason for that was because all of her close friends already knew, she still had waited months to talk to Lucy about it. So what was so different about Gajeel?

Instead of worrying about it all night, she decided to just read and go to sleep.

Gajeel was laying in his own bed, wondering why he had had so much fun that day as well. He felt the low purr of his cat Pantherlily, and while that usually would have tempted him into drifting right off, he laid there and thought about a little girl who had almost as dark a past as him, and still smiled like the sunshine.


	3. Chapter 3

As the two went on to help each other, they got to know who the other was better. Levy noticed that Gajeel had a very surly outside, but was much kinder than he seemed; Gajeel noticed that Levy wasn't just a sweet girl who liked to read, but a witty little smart Aleck, with the sharpest mind and tongue that were ready to go at any moment.

About a week and a half into their arrangement, Gajeel showed up much earlier than normal. Levy- still in PJs with crazy bedhead- blinked up at the tall boy on her doorstep, still blurry minded. "Hey Shrimp, sorry if I woke you up, but you weren't answering your phone." She yawned, and stepped aside, letting him in wordlessly.

When she went into the kitchen for her morning tea, he followed. "Hey, I was wondering if we could actually do the lessons at my house, because I have to watch my little cousin." She held a finger up.

When she was a few sips into her drink, she answered. "Yeah, that's fine. Give me 20 minutes?" He nodded.

She left her tea, and went to her room. Gajeel sat and let the blush he'd been holding back out while she was gone. The sight of her in tiny little shorts and a huge t shirt that she swam in, combined with twisting fluffy hair was just a little too much for him.

She came back out in something that almost made him wish she'd change back. A dark mahogany blouse with black flower pattern side sleeves tucked into tight black high waisted shorts, and a matching headband and sandals made her nearly irresistible. _Does this girl know how much she affects me? Does she do it on purpose or something?_ He really hoped not.

She packed up some books and pens in a side bag, and they were on their way. Both were nervous about going to his house, he was worried about how dirty his room was, she was just nervous because she'd never gone to a boy's house before. (She didn't count Jet and Droy, they were more brothers than boys in her mind.)

They only walked around 15 minutes until Gajeel turned onto a side street, and went a few houses down, before leading up to a two story house.

Levy saw quite a few windows, most completely different from the other. One had light, pastel pink and purple curtains, with a cute white lamp in the windowsill on the top right; dark wine colored curtains were closed in the top left; through one of the bottom windows saw fire posters tacked on a bright orange wall; and in the last one, she saw smoky gray and black decor, with metalwork strewn in the window.

When he let her in, she was assaulted with wonderful smells. "Looks like Pipsqueak's up already." He grumbled under his breath. _Pipsqueak?_ Levy wondered who else suffered under Gajeel's tendency to nickname.

As she followed him down the hallway, he shouted out. "Hey girlie, whatcha makin'?" A shoe flew out from an open door on their left, smacking the side of Gajeel's head.

"Shut up Metalhead! It's not even noon yet!" Levy recognized the voice.

"Natsu?" She peeked her head in the room. Natsu was sitting up in bed, shirtless and irritated. When he saw her, he looked confused.

"Levy? What are you doing in my house?" Before she could respond, the shoe shot past her head and whacked him straight in the face.

"She's here to tutor me dumb ass, we already talked about this." She looked up and over her shoulder to see Gajeel standing - almost protectively- behind her.

Natsu stood up -not noticing that he was only wearing boxers- and started yelling blasphemies at Gajeel, complaining about black eyes. Levy whipped around -unhelpfully into Gajeel's chest. He caught her and shoved her to the end of the hallway, yelling about company and having decency.

She left them, and made her way to the kitchen, where a young girl was standing before a stove. The girl turned around, and only looked surprised for a second, before she smiled and said, "Hi, you must be Levy! I'm Gajeel and Natsu's cousin, Wendy. I heard you were coming over today."

Levy smiled. The girl had to be only 10 or 11, but acted much older. She had dark blue, almost purple, hair that went down to her butt, bright hazel eyes, and a sweet, inviting smile. Levy liked her immediately.

"Hi, nice to meet you, Wendy."

Natsu's roar from the hallway drew their attention for a moment. Wendy rolled her eyes, but smiled with real affection. "They're loud, but I swear they're really just big softies."

"Speak for the Flame brain, lil cuz." Gajeel grumbled as he entered the kitchen, causing Levy to jump in surprise. He chuckled at her reaction, and swiped a piece of bacon from a plate on the counter. Wendy went to smack his hand away, but he was too busy yelling out, "Ah, hot, hot! Tryin' to kill me, woman?!"

Levy giggled, but Wendy just stuck her chin up. "That's what you get. Now, go and be a nice host and let Levy put her things in your room." He sent her another half hearted glare, but then nodded at Levy.

"Follow me." She did. He walked to the door directly across from Natsu's, which was now closed. The inside was somewhat organized, but not neat in any way. There was metal pretty much everywhere, but what really took up most of the space in the room was the huge desk, covered in so many tools and with so many little cupboards and shelves.

"Wow." It was all she could say. If she had taken the time to look at the owner of the room, she would have seen the blush that he was trying very hard to get rid of. She walked over to a finished piece on his drawers; a heart the size of her hand, made with so many intricate, intertwined layers of cogs and sheets of delicate metals. She turned to him. "Did you do all of this?!"

He nodded. "Everything except for that." He motioned his head toward the other side of the desk. She walked over, to a set of armor that was so wonderfully and beautifully done, it took her breath away.

"My dad did it. Nothing I have ever done will come close to his work. But I try." She just looked up at him in shock and awe. "What?!" He griped, his cheeks flushing again.

"This- _you're_ amazing." He looked away.

"Thanks, I guess. I hate everything I make. Anyways, put your shit down so we can go eat." She smiled, recognizing that he was embarrassed, and decided not to tease him. She put her bag down on his bed, not wanting to disturb his work on the desk, and then walked past him to the kitchen again, sticking her tongue out at him.

They ate, Natsu joining them halfway through, still not wearing a shirt, but with pants. Levy and Wendy talked, the boys only stopped eating long enough to breathe and add a comment here and there. Gajeel talked more than Natsu for once, but Levy figured that was due more to tiredness than regular habit.

She found that all three were cousins by blood, and all orphans. Their aunt, Porlyusica, had legal custody of them all, and worked most of the time to provide for them all.

"She's a grumpy hag, but she takes good care of us." Gajeel said.

"What does she do for work?" Levy asked.

Wendy piped in again. "She's a nurse. I'm actually training to do the same thing when I grow up!"

When they finished, Natsu declared he was taking a shower and then heading out. "Good luck trying to teach him, Levy!" He joked as he walked out.

Gajeel went to retort back, but Levy simply said, "Good luck showering Natsu. We all know it's a special occasion!" Gajeel snickered, and even Wendy giggled before she could stop herself. Natsu just sent her a smile and kept walking.

"You two go on, I'll take care of the dishes." Levy tried to refuse, but Wendy insisted, and Levy conceded when Wendy added: "You're doing a huge favor for my cousin, let me do this little thing for you. Please."

They made their way back to Gajeel's room, and stayed there working until noon, when Wendy came in with two plates of their lunch. The scene she walked into made her smile.

Gajeel was laying on his stomach, his feet at the head of his bed, with Levy draped sideways over him, her legs straight up against the wall, her head leaning almost over the edge, examining the heart piece she'd seen earlier. He was in the middle of reading something out loud, but stopped when Wendy came in.

"Hey girlie. Thanks, we were gonna take a break in few minutes and make ourselves something."

Levy sat up and turned so she could take the food. Gajeel ducked just in time to avoid being kicked in the back of his head, seemingly used to her crawling all over him by that point. "Thank you so much, this looks delicious!"

Wendy smiled. "It's pastrami with cream cheese and cheddar, lightly toasted. We have juice, lemonade, or iced tea in the kitchen if you want something to drink."

Levy looked at her like she was a saint. "Wendy, you will make the best freaking wife ever!"

Wendy blushed and laughed. "Thank you." Then she left the room.

Levy handed Gajeel the plates. "What do you want to drink? I'm gonna go make myself an Arnold Palmer." He looked up at her.

"Just lemonade's fine, thanks." He watched as she walked away, and smiled. He found that he liked hanging out with her more and more each time. And anyone who acclimated so quickly into his family had his respect. _She gets along really well with them, maybe_ \- he stopped himself from that train of thought. There was no way he liked her like that, let alone her liking him back.

When she came back in with two cups in hand, he heard a familiar scratching at his window, but Levy jumped a bit in surprise. He laughed and walked over to open the window. Pantherlily jumped down from the windowsill onto his bed.

"Oh my goodness, is that your cat?!" Levy exclaimed.

He nodded. "Yeah, his name's Pantherlily, Lily for short." Lily examined Levy curiously, before jumping down next to her.

Levy reached her hand out to the cat. His fur was so dark brown, it seemed almost black, but he had clipped ears and tail, and a gnarly scar down one of his eyes. He sniffed her hand, and then moved his head so that her hand was on top of it. She smiled and scratched behind his ears. Lily sat and purred at the treatment.

Gajeel's eyebrows went up in surprise, but said nothing. But when Lily jumped into her lap, and pressed his head under her chin and she giggled, he laughed. "Guess he really likes you Shrimp."

She smiled, and reached around the cat now napping in her lap to eat. "Guess so. He's a sweetheart."

He just laughed and started eating.

"How'd you get him?"

He shrugged. "Just showed up in our front yard one day during a storm. Curled up underneath the tree right next to my window, and wouldn't let anyone near him for a few days. But he kept coming back. Eventually, he let me pet him and feed him, and one thing led to another, and now he comes and goes as he pleases in the day, but every night, he sleeps with me."

"How cute." And then she left it alone. Gajeel had an internal battle from her words.

 _What's cute? The cat, or did she mean me? There's no way in hell she meant me, but still, I can't tell with her. She had to mean the cat. Of course she meant the cat, this is stupid._ Levy just sat there and hummed a song and finished her lunch.

When she gathered up her dishes and trash, she found Gajeel standing up, carrying both of their things. "I can get it." She insisted, but he just shrugged and left the room.

"Thanks Gajeel." He grunted in response.

She bit her lip. _Did I do something to upset him? Maybe he's mad that his cat likes me so much. Did I say something? Oh, I can't remember._

While she sat and worried, he didn't notice her worrying. He just went back to work.

When Gajeel simply started reading again, Levy worried even more. _I must have pissed him off, he went straight back to work, oh gosh..._

"I'm sorry Gajeel." Her quiet apology caused the man to look up in surprise.

"For what?" He asked. _Why was she apologizing?_

She chewed on her lip even more. "I don't know, you just seem upset and I'm sorry if it was something I did."

 _What?! She thinks I'm mad at her?!_ _Where the hell did she get that idea?!_ "I'm not mad about anything Shrimp, I swear. Trust me, if I ever do get mad at you, which I doubt will happen, you'll know. I'm not exactly quiet about it."

She looked up at him, still a bit worried. _She should really stop biting her lip like that, it's really distracting._ "Are you sure?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes woman. Now get up here, I have no idea what this question is saying."

She looked down at Pantherlily. "What about him?"

He shrugged. "Take him up here with you, if you want, I don't care."

She nodded, and they went back to work.

At about 6 o'clock, Gajeel slammed his book shut. "No more Shorty, my brain is fried."

She nodded. "Alright. You did amazingly today, by the way, good job." He soaked up her praise inside, but -once again- showed nothing on the outside.

"Thanks. You know, you should think about being a teacher, you're pretty good at this." She blushed and looked down at the ground.

"Thank you. I've given it some thought, but I'm still not sure what I want to do later in life." She looked up at him. "What about you? Are you going to try and sell your art?"

He scoffed. "Why the hell would I do that? Who would be crazy enough to buy _my_ stuff?"

Levy looked confused. "I would! And I know plenty of others would too!"

He looked at her like she was crazy. "Yeah, but you're crazy. No sane person would suggest I be an _artist_." He scoffed again.

She was a bit hurt and mad, but let it slide, she knew he wasn't trying to offend her. "Well then, what _are_ you going to do?"

He shrugged. "Probably be a mechanic, just like my old man."

"Your father, with all of his talent, was a _mechanic_?!" She was astonished. The suit of armor just a few feet away from her was the most amazing thing she'd ever seen, blowing even Gajeel's great work out of the water.

He seemed a bit grumpy. "Yeah, what's wrong with being a mechanic?" She saw a little too late that what she'd said had offended him, and rushed to mollify.

"Nothing, unless you have the talent to be something else! Then it just doesn't seem right to me, to waste that."

Gajeel shrugged. "Well, it doesn't really matter anyways. Cuz he's gone." His tone was hard and cold, like iron on a fall night.

She looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

He bristled. "You didn't hurt my goddamn feelings! You just don't know what you're talking about!"

She blushed in humiliation. "I'm sorry Gajeel."

He realized that he was being a huge asshole to her. Again. He slumped his shoulders out of their defensive posture, and reached out his hand. He lifted up her face, and looked in her eyes. "I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to yell. Sorry."

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have said anything about your father, I should have just left it alone."

He shook his head. "No, you're fine. I just get...mad when I talk about him."

Levy wanted to ask why, but just left it alone, not wanting to make him mad again. Then she happened to catch a glimpse of his alarm clock. "It's getting late. I should probably get going."

He seemed to want to say something, but decided against it. Then he nodded. "I'll take you back right now. Do you mind if Wendy comes with? I'm still in charge of her right now."

She smiled. "That's fine. Thanks. I don't know if I know the way back."

He got up on his feet, and then reached his hand down to help her up. She was reminded of how the first met. This man had a whole lot more to him than she'd first thought.

A half hour later, he was dropping her off at her house. When she unlocked her door, she found she didn't want to say goodbye just yet, so she turned around and said, "I'll talk to you tomorrow?" He nodded in response.

"Sorry I couldn't help you pack some more today." She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm glad I got to visit today. It was fun. Maybe once in a while, we can change it around, and study at your house?"

He nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Bye Wendy, it was great meeting you!" Levy said to the girl who was waiting at the bottom of the steps.

"You too, Levy! See you soon!"

"Later, Gajeel." Then she did something foolish and something she'd probably immediately regret. She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. She shot back down to her heels, and ran inside her house, closing the door.

When she was safely inside, she felt her heated face and sighed. "Oh boy..."

The man on the other side of the door just stood there, shocked, and then slowly smiled. When he turned around eventually and faced his cousin, he saw her sneaky smile. _Then_ he felt the slight blush on his cheeks, and then felt it grow, despite his best efforts.

"What are you looking at?!" He huffed, and started walking home.

"Nothing~" Wendy sing songed.

Then they walked home, with Gajeel throwing glances back every once in a while.


	4. Chapter 4

The next school day, Levy didn't waste time talking to anyone, she went straight for Lucy, who was sitting and talking to Natsu. When Lucy saw her she waved, but then noticed the determined look on Levy's face.

"Lev, are you okay?"

Levy nodded and stood in front of the two. "Yeah, I'm fine. Can I talk to you?"

Natsu butted in. "Well this seems like girl stuff, which I don't want to be around! Later Luce, Levy!" He got up and went to walk off, but a few feet out, he stopped and turned back a bit. "And next time you come over, a little warning so I can put pants on this time!"

Levy grumbled under her breath as Lucy's head shot back to her. "When did you go to Natsu's house?!"

"Gajeel had to watch his little cousin, so we studied at his house instead of mine for once. Turns out, he lives with Natsu." She shrugged. Lucy laughed. "So you walked in on him with no pants on?!"

Levy smiled. "Not exactly. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

The night before, Levy had decided that she definitely had feelings for Gajeel. Now she just needed to figure out what to do with them. And that's why she'd come to Lucy.

As Levy explained, Lucy looked astonished. "Are you sure that you're describing Gajeel? This doesn't seem like him!"

Levy blushed a bit. "He really is nice, Lucy, in his own way. He just doesn't know how to show it."

As she finished telling her all that had gone on with them, ending with the kiss she had given him, Levy was blushing a bit.

Lucy laughed. "Wow! Who thought you'd have the guts to do something like that?"

Levy pouted a bit. "I've got guts."

"Oh, you absolutely do! Just not usually with guys."

She huffed a bit. "Well this one is not only for real, but he's also a lot denser than the guys I've like before."

Lucy laughed. "Well, at least you're honest and not totally brainwashed. So what do you want to do about it?"

That was just the question. Levy was sure that he liked her most than most people, but seeing as he barely tolerated most other people, that wasn't saying much.

"I was thinking that I could...woo him." She was most certainly blushing now, refusing to look Lucy in the eyes.

"Come again?"

Levy ducked her head. "Like, showing him my best, going out of my way to impress him and stuff. So I would be dressing up more, which I'd need you for, but also just being flirty and stuff. Which you know I have no idea how to do. So I'll need help there more than anywhere else."

When she peeked at Lucy's face, Lucy looked like someone had been struck dumb. "You - book loving, innocent, I-don't-need-a-man Levy - want my help impressing a guy? And _Gajeel_ _Redfox_ is the guy?"

Levy nodded. "Yes...please."

Lucy shook her head in wonder. "Well I never thought this day would come."

Levy was a bit pricked by that comment, but let it slide. "Will you help me or not?" Her voice was a bit sharper than usual, the embarrassment causing her to get a bit defensive.

Lucy chuckled. "Of course. I've been waiting for this day for what seems like forever."

By the end of the school day, they had a plan of action ready. Lucy had kept her more bold suggestions to herself, since Levy was already going out of her comfort zone as it was, but Lucy was eager to see the results of her friend's newfound bravery.

So when Levy showed up 15 minutes late to her meeting with Gajeel, her shirt with one more button undone than usual, and medium dark lip gloss on, he took little notice.

Or at least, it seemed that way to Levy.

 _Geez, get yourself together man. So what if she looks really good? You're here to get your school stuff together, not stare at the beautiful girl sitting next to you._

The tutoring session passed on as normal, but Gajeel was a bit grouchier than usual, and the more Levy tried to get closer to him, the pricklier he got. Eventually, she just sighed inwardly, texted Lucy her failure, and did her job as normal.

She noticed that the more she treated him like a friend, the more relaxed he got.

 _Oh god, he found out that I like him and is trying to nonverbally shut me down. How humiliating..._ She then was so disappointed in herself that she made up an excuse to leave early.

Gajeel watched her leave, a bit confused. _What was up with the shrimp today? First the get up, and acting all bubbly - more than normal anyways - then she was on her phone for a sec before she just left. Did she get some bad news maybe?_

Then a thought came to him. _What if she had a date and then it got cancelled? Does she go on dates?_ Now he was worried that he was in the way, and especially that he was maybe cutting too into her personal time. _She could have just told me she was busy! Ugh, now I feel like a jerk._

He decided to text her. _**Are you okay? You seemed a little down today.**_

Her response was almost immediate: _**I'm fine.**_

Gajeel may not have been the smartest man, but he wasn't dumb. He knew that when women said fine, it was usually the opposite. But he didn't want to pry and piss her off, so he just left it alone. It probably had nothing to do with him anyways.

"How can he not notice me practically _throwing_ myself at him?! I'm trying to be as obvious as I can be here, and he isn't even noticing!" Lucy, now having been subject to Levy's tirade for almost an hour now, just nodded and texted Natsu back, not particularly paying attention. "I mean, come on! What, do I have to actually _tell_ him for him to get it?!"

An idea struck Lucy. "Wait. Why don't you?"

"Why don't I what?"

"Just tell him. I mean, its easier than trying to come up with ways to be overly blunt. In fact, it's the simplest way for him not to misunderstand."

Levy's face flushed. "You- you mean confess? Like, out loud, "Hey, I like you," telling-him-to-his-face, confess?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yes, Levy, it's not that hard."

Levy sent her a scathing look. "Then why haven't you done it yet?"

Lucy blushed, but tried to remain calm. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Besides, we're not talking about me here, we're taking about you. With someone as dense and insecure as Gajeel, its the best way for all parties."

"But what if he doesn't like me back?" Lucy resisted the urge to point out how immature Levy sounded right then.

"Then you're going to have to talk it out. Either way, you've got to grow up, and give him the opportunity to do the same."

Levy huffed, but didn't disagree with what Lucy said. "So, what? I just walk up to him and tell him I like him?"

Lucy shrugged. "You can do it however you want to, all you have to do is say the words. Doesn't really matter when or how."

Levy hummed. Lucy knew that Levy was thinking through the suggestion, looking for reasonable points against the action, but couldn't really find one.

Eventually, she plopped down on her bed. Lucy chuckled.

"So tomorrow I confess my feelings for someone. I always knew I'd get the nerve before you."

Lucy was immediately indignant. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Levy laughed.

"It means, you've been in love with Natsu since we were like 10, and you still haven't said anything."

Lucy plopped down on her face next to her. "Yeah, well that's different."

She felt the movement on the bed and knew Levy was facing her on her side.

"Lucy, it's our senior year, and it's over in a month. You should really say something. Even just for yourself."

Lucy sighed. "Yeah, well, my relationship has been one founded on friendship for 7 years. It's a little different."

"If it's been founded on friendship, then it's also founded on honesty and communication. You should tell him."

"Yeah, well how about this: you confess, then I'll do it. Deal?"

She felt Levy deliberate, then felt her nod against her shoulder. "Deal."

The next day at school, Levy showed up in a orange sundress that she never really had the opportunity (or confidence) to wear. It had a white halter top, and matching suedo orange and yellow sleeves, and showed a lot of leg. With that, she wore red sandals, and an orange bandana with a red flower.

Gajeel felt his eyes nearly pop out of his head when he saw her, thankful that she hadn't spotted him yet. He swallowed, and attempted to put his face back into its more natural indifferent expression. _Get yourself together man, you've got no right to look at her like that._

When she did find him though, she didn't hesitate to wall up to him. In fact, her face looked so determined and adorable, he almost smiled. But when he spied a blush spreading across her cheeks the closer she got, he wondered what she had to say to him.

 _Maybe she has a boyfriend now and has to tell you she can't spoon feed you anymore._

He told that particular voice where he could shove it.

When she finally got to him, she seemed to be forcing herself to look him in the eye, which was a large enough effort on its own, with her height.

He felt a weight of dread settle in his stomach. "What's up Shorty?"

"Um, well I was wondering if maybe I could talk to you." He saw that her hands were twisting in front of her, so he made an effort to soften his voice when he responded.

"Sure."

He stood there a second and watched her eyes go wide. "Oh! Oh no, not here! Somewhere preferably quiet. And alone."

As good as that would've sounded any other time, right now all he was doing was wondering why it hurt so bad that she was about to tell him she couldn't help him anymore. Near as he could figure, it was because she was such a good friend, and he'd trusted her so soon, which he didn't usually do with people. In the short amount of time they'd spent together, he'd really come to care for her.

"Yeah, alright." He led her up to the roof, where he would often slip away in-between classes.

He hadn't realized that maybe bringing a girl in a dress up to the windy roof was a bad idea until he heard her cry out, turned around, and got a perfect view of her dress flying up to her stomach. He swallowed hard. _Damn, she had to be the light pink lacy type. Why couldn't she have just worn the crappy, cotton, day of the week ones?! Or kittens or something!_ But he knew even if that is what she had worn, he still would be just as affected.

Her face had now gone from blushing to radiating pure embarrassment. "S-sorry. So, um, the reason I asked to talk to you was because I have something to tell you."

He was smart enough to know what that meant. _God, now I'm gonna have to act fine when she tells me she's done. I knew I shouldn't have asked her, I knew she was gonna break my_ \- Wait. What the hell was he thinking?! He didn't love her! There was no way! But-

One glimpse at her beautiful face, a quick glance over her gorgeous body, remembering every moment between them, he knew he was a goner. _Oh hell…_

"Um, Gajeel, I think I love you. A little. Maybe." Her voice drifted off, and her eyes refused to lift the ground, so she didn't notice when Gajeel nearly fainted out of shock. But she did peak up at his expression to see his shock.

 _I knew he wouldn't feel the same way, stupid Lucy!_

Before she could think, tears were in her eyes, and she was running back for the door.

 _Woah, why is she running away?!_ She'd just made him the happiest man alive, and she was running away, crying?! _Hell no. She's not gonna end it like that._

Levy had just reached the door and started to pull it open when a hand came crashing down on it, shutting it again. She started, and turned to face Gajeel, who looked a bit angry.

"Now, why would you run away after saying something like that?" His voice was deep and it sang along her nerves, soothing them despite her being terribly crushed. _Ugh, why am I so attracted to him! I can't even focus!_

She shook her head and tears started to fall. She looked down and wiped them away in frustration, but they kept trailing down determinedly.

She felt hands glide along her jaw, then her face was being lifted up. She bit her lip. She didn't want him to see her crying over him.

The softness in his face was odd. His thumbs drifted over her cheeks, smoothing away the tears, even though they stopped soon, he still kept up the soothing motion.

 _Oh yeah, this is why. This is who I fell for, the absolute sweetheart underneath all of that tough guy exterior._

She didn't want the reminder. She just wanted to go home and cry. He just pitied her.

Gajeel saw the humiliation on her face, and decided he better clarify fast, or she'd be liable to rip him a new one. He'd seen her quick temper, and - though he of course thought it was adorable - it was also pretty scary. She had a conniving mind and endless patience.

"Lev, you didn't give me a chance to respond." She started shaking her head.

"I already know what you're gonna say."

He chuckled. "I doubt you do. How about you sit down and hear me out, yeah?" He saw her warring with the thought of listening him out or just making a run for it.

"School's starting any minute." School. Of course she would think of school.

He smiled. "We'll be a little late for Homeroom. Here, sit down."

He sat her down on the other side of the wall, where her dress - and thus his safety of mind - would be safe.

Now that he knew he had a right to touch her how he'd wanted to for a while now, he reached out and took one of her wild blue locks, playing with it, wondering at how it was to simply be next to her.

He saw her confusion. "What are you thinking?"

He chuckled. "I'm thinking you look very beautiful today." He let the lock go, and moved his hand on her cheek, then farther, his fingers sliding through her hair.

Then he kissed her. Simply, beautifully, and lovingly.

"I happen to be in the same position here, so why don't we talk this out?"

Her red face was the most beautiful thing. He loved making her react. Her laugh, her anger, they were all insufferably adorable and he wanted them all.

"W-w-what do you mean?!" Her voice rose in pitch as she spoke. He laughed out loud.

"Why are you so surprised? You didn't think you were the only one losing yer heart the last few weeks, did ya?"

She blushed. "Well…"

He grinned. "You seem to be having trouble with your words today Shorty."

That got her going. "Well excuse me! Here I am, preparing to ruin our relationship forever because I was an idiot and fell in love, and then you kiss me!"

He smirked. "Yeah I did. It was nice. I kinda want to do it again." He leaned forward, but her face flamed up again, and she backed away.

"W-wait, I'm not done!"

"Mhmm." Instead of her lips, he grazed his along her jaw. "Keep going. I'm listenin'."

"U-uh...Oh well, you c-can't just say something like…" His lips were trailing down her neck now, inhaling her scent, even nipped her earlobe. "Eep! Uh, you can't do that while I'm talking. It's very distracting."

His chuckle brushed along her neck and set her nerve endings on fire. "Yeah that's the point." Then he made his way to her collarbone.

"Okay, well, if you're gonna keep going I'm just gonna shut up now, since you're not listening anyways."

"Mhmm." As his lips went to travel back up to hers, a throat cleared behind them.

They whirled to meet Lucy smirking and Natsu grinning. Levy blushed all over again. Gajeel scowled, mad at being interrupted.

One of Lucy's eyebrows went up. "I see it went well." Levy stuttered.

"W-well…"

Natsu guffawed. "'Bout damn time! Now you guys better hurry up before you miss first period."

As Gajeel helped Levy up, he smiled and held her hand for a second too long. "See you in a couple hours."

She nodded, still blushing. Then she walked off with Lucy. Gajeel and Natsu had their first period together, so they made their way down the stairs behind the girls.

Natsu was his usual idiot self, talking about his last adventure with Lucy and Happy, when his cat had gotten out and wandered over to her house again. But this time Gajeel was tired of watching his cousin love the girl from far away, and watching the girl do the same. _Screw tact, I just got the prettiest girl in the school to be mine._

So he threw his arms around Natsu and, speaking much louder than he needed to, interrupted the other boy halfway through a sentence. "When are you and Lucy gonna finally get together man?!"

The look on Natsu's face was worth the beating he'd probably give Gajeel later.

"N-never! Why would you say that?"

Lucy's face fell a bit, but she was a trooper. "Y-yeah. Why would Natsu ever go out with me?" Natsu seemed to be able to sense that Lucy was hurt pretty bad.

"Well, it's not you Luce, it's just cuz you and I don't like each other like that. We're best friends!"

 _Wow. He's really not helping himself here._ Both Gajeel and Levy saw the hole Natsu was digging himself into.

Even Gajeel could see the tears starting to swim in Lucy's eyes. Levy looked ready to wrap her arms around the girl.

"Y-yeah, well, that's just not how we are with each other. You would never be interested in me, and a romantic relationship between us would never work out."

Gajeel wondered at how bad it hurt to say those words out loud to the person you loved. He regretted bringing this conversation up.

"Exactly! I think." Gajeel winced out loud as Natsu pounded the final nail in his proverbial coffin.

Lucy ran off as fast as she could, tears already falling, Levy right behind her. Natsu and Gajeel just stood there. Gajeel felt super guilty. Natsu just stood there blinking.

"I said something wrong, didn't I?" The younger man finally spoke.

"Yeah, you really did." Gajeel sighed.

Natsu's answer was so quiet Gajeel had to strain to hear it. "Damn it. If I was good enough, this wouldn't have happened." Before Gajeel could ask what he meant, Natsu's head popped up and his face was determined. "I've gotta go find her." Then he was gone.

Gajeel just walked to class, and waited until the first class he had with Levy to talk to her a bit more.

His phone buzzed a few minutes later. _So, we still on for tutoring later?_ He grinned.

 _Hell yeah._


End file.
